“My brother has a point,” says Remy. “Fated mate status trumps everything. Any agreement Keir’s former pack might have with another Alpha is void since Keir has found his fated mate.”
“And your brother can provide proof of the ‘fated’ status?” asks Eames. “Not even your own elder believes that to be true.”
Fucking William.The other elders might go along with this idiocy, but he’s definitely the ringleader.
“Whether you believe it or not,” I start, mocking Eames’s condescending tone, “the mating bond has already been completed and Keir wearsmyclaiming bite on his neck.”
Eames scoffs. “All that means is that when Alpha Stevens takes possession of the omega, he can bring a case against you for damage to his property.”
That’s it.
That’s the last straw.
I rise to my feet, claws extending from my fingers and digging into the wood of my desk as I stand. My vision sharpens as my eyes shift to that of my wolf and my teeth elongate in my mouth.
For the first time, Eames actually looks a little scared.Good.I want him scared. Though, I’d really prefer him dead along with everyone else trying to take Keir away from me.
Eames chuckles nervously. “Now, Alpha Matisse, this display is unnecessary. I—”
“Get. Out,” I snarl. Eames opens his mouth like he’s about to argue and I bare my teeth at him. “These negotiations are over. We’ll take our chances at the hearing.”
“Very well,” says Eames before standing and gathering up his things. He’s still nervous, but he’s got a ‘cat that ate the canary’ look on his face that I don’t like.
It’s too late to worry about that now, though. Once Eames exits my office and Remy closes the door, I collapse back into my chair and lean my elbows on my desk, resting my forehead on my palms.
“Well, that could have gone better,” says Remy after a long pause. “What’s gotten into you?”
“I have no idea. My wolf slowly got more and more agitated the longer Eames was here.”
“And is it better now?”
I pause for a second, then shake my head. “No. Even though Eames is gone, my wolf is refusing to settle. It’s like that feeling you get when you know something isn’t right, but you can’t figure out what.”
“Interesting…”
The sound of someone jogging toward the office brings my head up as the door flies open and Dante rushes inside, quickly followed by Brody.
“Sorry to interrupt,” says Dante, though he doesn’t really look sorry. He focuses on me, his brows pulled together. “I ran into your uncle having dinner downtown, which wouldn’t normally be a big deal, but he was with two unfamiliar shifters and I’m pretty sure he referred to one of them as ‘Alpha.’”
Fuck.That’s just what I need. What is Everett up to now?
Fifty-Three
Keir
IfirstmetZachariahStevens when I was thirteen years old. At the time, I was a moody teen who certainly didn’t follow all the rules and wasn’t anyone’s favorite person, but I wasn’t yet a complete outcast.
My pack had spent almost two months preparing for a visit from a larger, more prosperous pack. Alpha Randall ingrained on us all how important it was that things go smoothly, that this could be the beginning of an important alliance for our pack. I didn’t know any of the details—still don’t actually—and I didn’t much care.
When the day of the visit finally arrived, I made myself scarce rather than being present for the other pack’s arrival. Just before noon, I slipped outside the gates of the compound and wandered a little distance into the woods, heading toward the nearby spring-fed pond that I hiked to when I wanted to be alone. I shed my clothes and took a quick swim before spending the rest of the afternoon laying on a blanket and swishing my feet through the chilly water as I stared up at the sky. It was nice to relax, but my main goal was to kill as much time as possible before I had to return to the constraints of the compound.
Sure, I wasn’t exactly trapped there—as evidenced by my trip to the pond on such an important day—but it felt like the walls of the compound were closing in on me more and more each day. I knew there was a bigger world out there, one hidden from me and the rest of the younger pack members, but I was too timid to go out there and find it on my own.
Too bad it found me.
By the time the sun was nearing the horizon, my stomach was growling. I didn’t care about the visiting pack, but I damn sure wasn’t going to miss the huge celebration meal. I was putting my clothes back on when I heard a stick break in the woods behind me. I whirled around, eyes wide as my gaze darted around the area looking for the source of the noise.
A second later, someone stepped out from between the trees.
